System and method for providing media content

ABSTRACT

There is presented a system for providing a content stored on a medium, the system comprising a media presentation module including a processor. The processor is configured to retrieve a content payload including a digital content from a data structure residing on the medium, and to retrieve a content-describing metadata stored separately from the digital content, from the data structure. The content-describing metadata provide content information including media encoding information for the digital content and a media profile information for the digital content. The content-describing metadata are configured to provide the content information to the media presentation module prior to rendering the digital content. In one embodiment, the processor is further configured to configure the media presentation module based on the media encoding information and the media profile information, and to present the content on a display.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No.12/383,668 filed on Mar. 26, 2009, which claims priority to U.S.Provisional Application No. 61/110,488 filed on Oct. 31, 2008, U.S.Provisional Application No. 61/110,484 filed on Oct. 31, 2008, and U.S.Provisional Application No. 61/110,485 filed on Oct. 31, 2008, which arehereby incorporated by reference in their entirety.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates generally to the management of mediacontent. More particularly, the present invention relates to systems andmethods for enabling a presentation system to optimize presentation ofmedia content.

2. Background Art

Films, television programming, entertainment trailers, and the like, areexamples of content that lends itself to distribution in the form ofmedia files. In general, media files may be described as containingmedia elements that can be processed by a media player and rendered on adisplay device to present audio, video, and multimedia content to aconsumer. Media content contained in a data file may be encodedaccording to an increasingly wide variety of standardized andproprietary encoding formats. Each encoding format can be decoded by acompatible codec to generate signals suitable for presentation on amedia presentation system such as a television, computer monitor, ormobile communication device display, for example. In many instances,more than one codec variable or profile are available for a particularencoding format. Under those circumstances, each alternative codecprofile might perform differently, and one in particular may providesuperior performance for a specific set of parameters. In otherinstances, a compatible codec may not be available at all, and theencoded media may then have to be transcoded from a first encodingformat to a second encoding format that is compatible with an availablecodec to be viewed, or, if transcoding is not possible, the encodedmedia cannot be viewed at all.

Within a media file, the codec specific information is typically carriedin the encoded portion of the media content. For example, codec specificinformation may be carried in the header portion of a Moving PictureExperts Group (MPEG) stream. There are, however, several disadvantagesassociated with this conventional inclusion of codec information in theencoded media content itself. One significant disadvantage to thisconventional approach is that a media player, for example, must begindecoding the media content to obtain the codec specific information. Asecond disadvantage is that the codec information encoded into the mediacontent according to the conventional approach does not provide guidancefor optimizing presentation of the media content for a given set ofplayback system or display constraints; it merely provides informationon how the media was encoded prior to distribution. As a result,playback systems may decide in an ad hoc manner to modify thepresentation of the content using its own set of viewing parameters.This is especially true in the case wherein one or more of the specifiedencoding parameters cannot be supported by the playback device. Theresult in many cases is a viewing experience dictated by the playbackdevice, and independent of the original encoding parameters.

Another disadvantage associated with the conventional approach is thatwhen the producers of media content encodes that content fordistribution, they may do so in a manner that targets a specific codec,certain decoding parameters, or certain playback systems, for example.Nevertheless, there is no mechanism to require or ensure that thosetargeted conditions will in fact exist when the media file is decodedand presented. As a result, the presentation experience of a consumer ofthe media content may be different from that intended by the producersand/or creators of the content.

For example, headers of encoded video may contain information describingencoding parameters such as the bit rate, aspect ratio, and the videoprofile. In addition, those headers may indicate the file size, includemetadata, and identify the locations of the video and audio tracks inthe media file. That header information describes attributes of themedia content and/or encoders and/or how the source was compiled, but itdoes not convey any information about how the media file is to beviewed. In other words, despite certain assumptions about thepresentation experience having informed the upstream transcoding andencoding processes, instructions for producing a presentation experiencecorresponding to those upstream assumptions are typically not includedin the media file. Consequently, there may exist a significant aestheticdisjunction between the presentation experience intended by the creatorsand/or producers of the media content, and that actually experienced bythe consumer.

The disjunction may be particularly acute when the playback system andthe rendering system are not the same, for example, when a playbacksystem such as a cable box, optical disc player, or game console isrendered on a television set. In these situations, the two systems mayoperate independently of one another to affect the viewing experience,according to their own respective rules, which are not guided by theintent of the content creators or producers. Moreover, game controllersand mobile communication devices provide examples of multi-functionplayback systems that are designed for very diverse functions (e.g.,game playback as well as film playback as well as telecommunications)and in which the graphics processes may be optimized by default fornon-media playback functions, to the detriment of media playback. Theabsence of a mechanism for conveying parameters corresponding to theintended presentation experience prevents these devices from adjustingtheir settings so as to improve the presentation experience for theconsumer.

Accordingly, there is a need to overcome the drawbacks and deficienciesin the art by providing a solution for optimizing presentation of mediacontent across a wide range of playback and viewing devices. It isdesirable that the solution enable a creator and/or producer of thecontent to convey presentation guidelines to rendering and/or playbacksystems so as to allow those systems to optimize the presentation in amanner consistent with their performance capabilities.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

There are provided systems and methods for providing media content,substantially as shown in and/or described in connection with at leastone of the figures, as set forth more completely in the claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The features and advantages of the present invention will become morereadily apparent to those ordinarily skilled in the art after reviewingthe following detailed description and accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 shows a block diagram of a system for providing media content,according to one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 shows a block diagram of a data structure for use in a system forproviding media content, according to one embodiment of the presentinvention; and

FIG. 3 is a flowchart of a method for providing media content, accordingto one embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present application is directed to a system and method for providingmedia content. The following description contains specific informationpertaining to the implementation of the present invention. One skilledin the art will recognize that the present invention may be implementedin a manner different from that specifically discussed in the presentapplication. Moreover, some of the specific details of the invention arenot discussed in order not to obscure the invention. The specificdetails not described in the present application are within theknowledge of a person of ordinary skill in the art. The drawings in thepresent application and their accompanying detailed description aredirected to merely exemplary embodiments of the invention. To maintainbrevity, other embodiments of the invention, which use the principles ofthe present invention, are not specifically described in the presentapplication and are not specifically illustrated by the presentdrawings. It should be borne in mind that, unless noted otherwise, likeor corresponding elements among the figures may be indicated by like orcorresponding reference numerals.

The present inventor recognizes that conventional approaches toproviding media content may often fail to enable playback and/orrendering systems to optimize presentation of that content. The inventorovercomes this deficiency in the conventional art by disclosing a novelsystem and method for providing media content. The present applicationdescribes a solution that, in one embodiment, conveys informationenabling a presentation system to recognize content as playable contentprior to rendering the content. Moreover, the solution disclosed hereinmay also be used to convey information about how a media content creatorand/or producer intends a particular item of content to be experiencedby a consumer. The present approach provides downstream mediapresentation modules comprising playback and/or rendering systems withdata describing various characteristics of the media content, as well asdata guiding optimal presentation of the content within the context ofthe performance capabilities of the playback and/or rendering systems.Furthermore, the present concepts enable adaptation of the presentationguiding data according to pre-existing configuration of the playbackand/or rendering systems.

In one embodiment, the concepts disclosed by the present application areimplemented by defining, at the media container level, how a particularcontent is intended to be presented. This may be accomplished, forexample, through use of content-describing metadata that includespresentation parameters defined by the media creators and/or producers.Those presentation parameters are intended to provide information thatcan be used to adapt the playback and/or rendering processes in thepresentation environment, or in some instances, to adapt thepresentation environment itself to correspond with the presentationexperience intended or desired by the creators and/or producers of thecontent. Such content-describing metadata may be used to enable playbackand/or rendering systems to provide consumers with an optimalpresentation experience given available system capabilities.Alternatively, the content-describing metadata may be utilized by theplayback and/or rendering systems to inform the consumer of systemlimitations, and/or optional steps that may be taken to improve orenhance the presentation experience. As a result, presentation systemsand/or consumers of the media content may make informed decisionsregarding reproduction of the presentation aesthetic intended by thecreators and/or producers of the media content, rather than having thosedecisions be governed entirely by arbitrary or predetermined parametersset by the presentation systems alone.

FIG. 1 shows a block diagram of system 100 for providing media content,according to one embodiment of the present invention. In the embodimentof FIG. 1, system 100 comprises content server 110 including contentstorage 114. System 100 also includes data structure 120 residing oncontent storage 114. Stored in data structure 120 are content payload122 including digital content 124, and content-describing metadata 126.System 100 further includes media presentation module 104, representedas a personal computer (PC), and including processor 106. Also shown inFIG. 1, is communications network 102.

According to the embodiment of FIG. 1, processor 106 of mediapresentation module 104 may be configured to utilize content-describingmetadata 126 to identify digital content 124 as a playable content, copycontent payload 122 and content-describing metadata 126, and optimizepresentation of digital content 124 on media presentation module 104.For example, processor 106 of media presentation module 104 may beconfigured to retrieve content payload 122 including digital content124, and content-describing metadata 126, from data structure 120.Content-describing metadata 126, which is stored separately from digitalcontent 124, is shown in FIG. 1 to reside within data structure 120, butoutside of content payload 122. Where data structure 120 comprises acontainer file structure, for example, content-describing metadata 126may be stored separately from digital content 124 by being placed in aheader of the container file structure.

Content-describing metadata 126 may comprise a variety of distinct typesof data to optimize presentation of digital content 124 by mediapresentation module 104. Content-describing metadata 126 providescontent information, which may include media encoding information fordigital content 124, one of multiple media profile information fordigital content 124, preferred presentation parameters for digitalcontent 124, rules for presenting digital content 124 when at least oneof the preferred presentation parameters is not supported by mediapresentation module 104, and pointers to locations of other datafacilitating presentation of digital content 124. Content-describingmetadata 126 are configured to provide the content information to mediapresentation module 104 prior to rendering digital content 124.Content-describing metadata 126 may also be utilized by processor 106 todecode digital content 124 based on the media encoding information togenerate the content for presentation. Processor 106 may furtherconfigure media presentation module 104 based on content-describingmetadata 126 to optimize presentation of digital content 124 within theconstraints set by the resource and performance limitations of mediapresentation module 104, or by pre-existing configuration of mediapresentation module 104.

System 100 provides a mechanism for the creators and/or producers ofdigital content 124, to communicate operating parameters correspondingto a preferred presentation experience for a user of media presentationmodule 104. In addition, system 100 provides a mechanism for adaptingthe preferred presentation parameters in order to optimize presentationof digital content 124 in response to the presentation environmentpresented by media presentation module 104. System 100 utilizes datastructure 120 as an archive for substantially all of the elementsrequired for optimizing presentation of digital content 124, in a singleintegrated file format. As mentioned previously, in one embodiment, datastructure 120 may comprise a container data structure storing dataformatted in a container file format. A container format provides thebenefits of flexibility and ease of use, but the present approach mayalternatively use a non-container data structure and format.

In some embodiments, content-describing metadata 126 may be generatedand associated with digital content 124 when data structure 120 isinitially produced. In other embodiments, however, it may bepermissible, or even desirable, to allow content-describing metadata 126to be modified and/or supplemented after initial storage of both digitalcontent 124 and content-describing metadata 126, in data structure 120.The concepts disclosed in the present application embrace staticcontent-describing metadata 126 that cannot be readily changed afterproduction of data structure 120, as well as dynamic or modifiablecontent-describing metadata 126, or a combination of both types. Staticparameters included in content-describing metadata 126 may help toensure that the initial preferences of the content creators and/orproducers are persistently associated with digital content 124.Modifiable parameters included in content-describing metadata 126, onthe other hand, enable the presentation of digital content 124 to beadapted for new devices and/or presentation environments, as well aspossible changes in the presentation preferences of the content creatorsand/or producers.

Because system 100 utilizes data structure 120 as an archive forcontent-describing metadata 126 and content payload 122 in a singleintegrated data structure, a copy operation performed on data structure120 transfers content-describing metadata 126 along with core digitalcontent 124 contained in content payload 122. Thus, the present systemensures that content-describing metadata 126 and any updates to thatcontent-describing metadata are persistently stored with digital content124, through inclusion in data structure 120.

It is noted that although in the embodiment of FIG. 1, mediapresentation module 104 is represented as a PC, in other embodiments,media presentation module 104 may correspond to any suitablepresentation system utilizing integrated or separate playback andrendering units. For example, media presentation module 104 may comprisean integrated playback and rendering system such as a portable digitalmedia player (e.g., iPod), or a PC, as shown in FIG. 1. In anotherembodiment, media presentation module 104 may comprise separate playbackand rendering units, for example, a satellite set-top box, cable box,optical disc player, or gaming console, in combination with a standarddefinition or high definition television. In yet other embodiments,media presentation module 104 may comprise either a modular orintegrated presentation system in combination with intermediate servicessuch as transcoders or network attached storage (NAS), for example.

As shown in the embodiment of FIG. 1, content storage 114 may beaccessed through communications network 102. In one such embodiment,content server 110 may comprise a media web server, accessible over apacket network such as the Internet, for example. In other embodiments,content storage 114 may be located on a media server supporting a localarea network (LAN), provided at a recreational venue such as a themepark or destination resort, for instance, or included in another type oflimited distribution network. In yet other embodiments, content server110 may correspond to a network connected storage service, a cableprovider, or a broadcast provider, for example.

The operation of system 100, in FIG. 1, will now be further describedwith reference to FIG. 2, which shows a block diagram of a datastructure for use in a system for providing media content, according toone embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 shows data structure220, which corresponds to data structure 120, in FIG. 1. Stored in datastructure 220 are content payload 222 including digital content 224, andcontent-describing metadata 226, corresponding respectively to contentpayload 122 including digital content 124, and content-describingmetadata 126, in FIG. 1. As was the case for data structure 120, datastructure 220, in FIG. 2 may reside on a medium such as content storage114, in FIG. 1, and be acted on by a processor, such as processor 106 ofmedia presentation module 104. Processor 106 may be configured to effectretrieval of content payload 222 including digital content 224, and selfdescribing metadata 226 stored separately from digital content 224, fromdata structure 220.

Also shown in FIG. 2 are media encoding information 230, media profileinformation 232, preferred presentation parameters 234, rules 236, andpointers 238, which are collectively comprised by content-describingmetadata 226. It is noted that media encoding information 230, mediaprofile information 232, preferred presentation parameters 234, rules236, and pointers 238 were previously discussed in conjunction withsystem 100, but not explicitly shown in FIG. 1. It is further noted thatalthough in the present embodiment, data structure 220 is shown to holda single content, i.e., digital content 224, in other embodiments, datastructure 220 can be configured to store one or more additional versionsof the media content corresponding to digital content 224.

Digital content 224, which may itself comprise a media container filestructure, can include audio and video elements, as shown in FIG. 2. Inone embodiment, for example, digital content 224 may comprise anaudio-visual file containing media content including film content, ortelevision program content. In some embodiments, digital content 224 maybe a streamable media file suitable for playback by a consumer utilizinga remote presentation system, such as media presentation module 104, inFIG. 1.

As shown in FIG. 2, in one embodiment, content-describing metadata 226comprises media encoding information 230, media profile information 232,preferred presentation parameters 234, rules 236, and pointers 238.Media encoding information 230 may include a codec profile, bit rate,aspect ratio, and/or frame rate per second of digital content 224, forexample. Media encoding information 230 may also comprise a codecresolution profile for the digital content, such as high-definition(HD), standard definition (SD), or a mobile profile. Moreover, mediaencoding information 230 may comprise a type of codec for the digitalcontent, such as Moving Picture Experts Group (MPEG), or Society ofMotion Picture and Television Engineers (SMPTE) 421M, otherwise commonlyknown as VC-1.

Media profile information 232 may include one or more definitions of themedia profile(s) included in content payload 222 of data structure 220.For example, for HD media, media profile information 232 might indicatethat data structure 220 is capable of supporting profiles such as HD,standard definition SD, and portable or mobile versions, includingtarget media encoding information, and target transcoding parameters.Preferred presentation parameters 234 may include target presentationinformation for one or more of the supported media profiles orindependent of the supported media profiles, while rules 236 can provideinformation for adapting the presentation when at least one of thepreferred presentation parameters is unsupported by a particular mediaplayer and/or rendering system, or is inappropriate for a particularmode of presentation.

For example, rules 236 may include information concerning when orwhether closed captioning may be shown, for example, when the renderingdevice is a television, and when or whether closed captioning should besuppressed, for example, when the media player is integrated with amobile communication device such as a mobile telephone. As anotherexample, rules 236 may include instructions for adjusting the formatfrom a 4:3 aspect ratio to a widescreen 16:9 format when a portabledisplay supporting both formats is rotated, such as may occur when theuser of an iPhone, for instance, rotates that device. As anotherexample, rules 236 may include instructions for adjusting viewingparameters, such as bit rate, aspect ratio and so on, based oncapabilities and limitations of the rendering device, for example atelevision set, received by the playback device, for example an opticaldisc player, from such rendering device. Pointers 238 provide thelocation of data facilitating presentation of digital content 224.Pointers 238 may indicate one or more locations internal to datastructure 220, such as the location of closed captioning within datastructure 220, for example, or to data external to data structure 220,such as by providing a Uniform Resource Identifier (URI) for dynamiclinking to external assets.

To summarize the system described by the foregoing discussion, andreferring to FIGS. 1 and 2 to do so, system 100 for providing mediacontent comprises content server 110 including content storage 114, andmedia presentation module 104. Media presentation module 104 includesprocessor 106 configured to retrieve content payload 222 includingdigital content 224 from data structure 220. Processor 106 is alsoconfigured to retrieve content-describing metadata 226 stored separatelyfrom digital content 224, in data structure 220. Content-describingmetadata 226 includes content information, and is configured to providethat content information to media presentation module 104 prior torendering digital content 224. Content-describing metadata 226 includesat least media encoding information 230 for digital content 224, andmedia profile information 232 for digital content 224.

Processor 106 may be further configured to copy, or otherwise transferdata structure 120 to media presentation module 104, if digital content224 is identified as playable content. Processor 106 may then configuremedia presentation module 104 based on media encoding information 230and media profile information 232, and present the content on a displayof media presentation module 104. In instances in which retrieval ofcontent-describing metadata identifies digital content 224 as not aplayable content, processor 106 may be configured to display an alert onmedia presentation module 104, informing a user of media presentationmodule 104 of the content incompatibility.

In addition to media encoding information 230 and media profileinformation 232, content-describing metadata 226 may further include oneor more of preferred presentation parameters 234 for digital content224, rules 236 for presenting digital content 224 when at least one ofpreferred presentation parameters 234 is not supported by mediapresentation module 104, and pointers 238 to locations of datafacilitating presentation of digital content 224. In addition toenabling media presentation module 104 to identify digital content 224as a playable content prior to rendering digital content 224,content-describing metadata 226 may also be used by processor 106 tooptimize presentation of digital content 224 by media presentationmodule 104. Moreover, in some embodiments, content-describing metadata226 may include modifiable metadata, enabling supplementation and/orupdating of content-describing metadata 226 subsequent to its encodingand storage in data structure 220.

Although the present discussion has thus far described data structure220 as residing in content storage 114 of content server 110, moregenerally, data structure 220 may be stored on any suitablecomputer-readable medium. For example, content payload 222 includingdigital content 224, and content-describing metadata 226 storedseparately from digital content 224, may be stored in data structure220, such as a container file structure, for example, residing on acomputer-readable medium. As a result, content-describing metadata 226including media encoding information 230 for digital content 224 andmedia profile information 232 for digital content 224 may be stored onthe computer-readable medium. In addition, in some embodiments, one ormore of preferred presentation parameters 234 for digital content 224,rules 236 for presenting digital content 224 when at least one ofpreferred presentation parameters 234 is not supported by mediapresentation module 104, and pointers 238 to locations of datafacilitating presentation of digital content 224, may be stored on thecomputer-readable medium.

The expression “computer-readable medium,” as used in the presentapplication, refers to any medium that provides instructions to aprocessor, such as processor 106 of media presentation module 104. Thus,a computer-readable medium may correspond to various types of media,such as volatile media, non-volatile media, and transmission media, forexample. Volatile media may include dynamic memory, such as dynamicrandom access memory (dynamic RAM), while non-volatile memory mayinclude optical, magnetic, or electrostatic storage devices.Transmission media may include coaxial cable, copper wire, or fiberoptics, for example, or may take the form of acoustic or electromagneticwaves, such as those generated through radio frequency (RF) and infrared(IR) communications. Common forms of computer-readable media include,for example, a compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), digital videodisc (DVD), or other optical disc; a RAM, programmable read-only memory(PROM), erasable PROM (EPROM), FLASH memory, or a transmission carrierwave.

Turning now to FIG. 3, FIG. 3 shows a flowchart presenting a method forexecution by a media presentation module for providing media content,according to one embodiment of the present invention. While steps 310through 340 indicated in flowchart 300 are sufficient to describe oneembodiment of the present invention, other embodiments may utilize stepsdifferent from those shown in flowchart 300, or may include more, orfewer steps.

Starting with step 310 in FIG. 3 and referring to system 100 in FIG. 1,step 310 of flowchart 300 comprises retrieving content payload 122including digital content 124 from data structure 120. Data structure120 is stored on a medium, which in the embodiment of FIG. 1 isrepresented by content storage 114. Step 310 may be performed byprocessor 106 of media presentation module 104. As previously explained,data structure 120 may comprise a container file structure, and digitalcontent 124 may be a streamable media file, for example, provided in acontainer file format.

Continuing with step 320 of flowchart 300 and referring to FIGS. 1 and2, step 320 comprises retrieving content-describing metadata 126 storedseparately from digital content 124, from data structure 120. As was thecase for step 310, step 320 may be performed by processor 106 of mediapresentation module 104. In one embodiment, as described with referenceto step 310, data structure 120 may comprise a container file structure.In that embodiment, content-describing metadata 126 may be retrievedfrom a header of the container file in step 320. Referring to FIG. 2,content-describing metadata 226, stored separately from digital content224 and retrieved from data structure 220, in step 320 of flowchart 300,provides content information comprising at least media encodinginformation 230 for digital content 224 and media profile information232 for digital content 224.

The method shown in flowchart 300 continues with step 330, whichcomprises identifying digital content 224 as playable content. Aspreviously explained, content-describing metadata 224 is configured toprovide content information to media presentation module 104 prior torendering digital content 224. As in the present example method, in someinstances provision of the content information enables mediapresentation module to identify digital content 224 as a playablecontent prior to rendering digital content 224. Step 330 may beperformed by processor 106 committing computing resources toinitializing decoding of digital content 224. After identifying digitalcontent 224 as playable content, in step 330, processor 106 canconfigure media presentation module 104 based on media encodinginformation 230 and media profile information 232, and present thecontent corresponding to digital content 224 on a display of mediapresentation module 104.

In one embodiment, the method of flowchart 300 may include copying, orotherwise transferring data structure 120 to media presentation module104 as an alternative to, or in addition to, presenting the content. Insituations where identification of the digital media 224 in step 330reveals that digital media 224 is not a playable media by mediapresentation module 104, the present method may further comprisedisplaying an alert to that effect on media presentation module 104.Such an alert could inform a user of the media content incompatibility,and in some embodiments, suggest one or more user initiated actions toovercome or mitigate the incompatibility.

In some embodiments, not shown by flowchart 300, a method for providingmedia content may further comprise retrieving preferred presentationparameters 234 for digital content 224, from data structure 220. Such astep may be performed by processor 106 of media presentation module 104.Preferred presentation parameters 234, which may be included incontent-describing metadata 226, may be particularly useful at initialsetup of the presentation environment, but can be used at other times aswell. In some embodiments, preferred presentation parameters 234 mayvary at different points during presentation of digital content 224, toaccount for changing characteristics of the content, for example.

Thus, preferred presentation parameters 234 may be substantiallyconstant and applicable for an entire presentation session, or may betimed or otherwise synchronized such that they automatically orprogrammatically change during the presentation session. In someembodiments, some or all of preferred presentation parameters 234 mayconstitute presentation imperatives, where they are supported by theplayback and/or rendering systems comprised by media presentation module104, and may not be overruled either automatically by media presentationmodule 104, or manually by a consumer. However, in some embodiments,some or all of preferred presentation parameters 234 may be merelyadvisory, and may be overruled according to preferences determined bythe consumer, or by pre-existing configuration of media presentationmodule 104.

In other embodiment of the method shown in FIG. 3, presentation of themedia content may further comprise retrieving rules 236 for presentingdigital content 224 when at least one of preferred presentationparameters 234 is not supported by media presentation module 104, and/orretrieving pointers 238 to locations of data facilitating presentationof digital content 224. Content-describing metadata 226 may include oneor both of rules 236 and pointers 238 in addition to preferredpresentation parameters 234, and/or media encoding information 230 andmedia profile information 232. As was true for previous steps 310through 340 shown in flowchart 300, the additional described steps maybe performed by processor 106 of media presentation module 104.

In some embodiments, content-describing metadata 226 may includemodifiable metadata, enabling supplementation and/or updating ofcontent-describing metadata 226 subsequent to its storage in datastructure 220. In one embodiment, modification of content-describingmetadata may be performed according to changes provided by the contentcreators and/or producers, perhaps through content server 110 andcommunications network 102. In other embodiments, however, it may beadvantageous to permit authorized third parties at intermediate pointsin the distribution of data structure 220 to modify some portions ofcontent-describing metadata 226.

One advantage flowing from the concepts disclosed in the presentapplication that has hitherto not been described, relates to replicationof data structure 220 after distribution, such as through transfer ofdata structure 120, in FIG. 1, to media presentation module 104, overcommunications network 102. For example, a user of media presentationmodule (e.g., PC) 104 may wish to download content digital content 124over communications network 102 (e.g. the Internet), and then copy thatcontent to a portable device. As shown in FIG. 1, digital content 124 isincluded as part of content payload 122 of integrated data structure120, which also includes content-describing metadata 126 storedseparately from digital content 124. Consequently, transfer of datastructure 120 to media presentation module 104 enables the presentationof digital content 124 to be optimized in the context of the playbackand rendering capabilities of media presentation module 104. When datastructure 120 is copied from media presentation module 104 to anotherclient device or system, moreover, content-describing metadata 126remains persistently associated with digital content 124, so thatpresentation of that content may be optimized in whatever subsequentpresentation environment data structure 120 is copied to, even when thatenvironment supports playback and/or rendering capabilitiessubstantially different from those of media presentation module 104.

Thus, a system and method for providing media content has beendescribed. The present application has disclosed a solution thatdefines, at a data structure level, how a particular content is intendedby its creators and/or producers to be experienced by a consumer.Content-describing metadata encoded separately from the digital mediacontent and stored in the data structure, provides information that canbe used to adapt the decoding and/or rendering processes in the viewingenvironment, or to adapt the viewing environment itself, to betterachieve the intended or desired presentation experience. Thecontent-describing metadata discussed herein allows to provide a moreoptimal presentation experience within the context of availablecapabilities, and/or inform the consumer of the opportunity to takeaction to enhance the presentation experience.

From the above description of the invention it is manifest that varioustechniques can be used for implementing the concepts of the presentinvention without departing from its scope. Moreover, while theinvention has been described with specific reference to certainembodiments, a person of ordinary skill in the art would recognize thatchanges can be made in form and detail without departing from the spiritand the scope of the invention. It should also be understood that theinvention is not limited to the particular embodiments described herein,but is capable of many rearrangements, modifications, and substitutionswithout departing from the scope of the invention.

What is claimed is:
 1. A system for providing a content stored on anon-transitory medium, the system comprising: an integrated datastructure residing on the non-transitory medium, the integrated datastructure comprising at least a content-describing metadata and acontent payload; a media presentation module including a processorconfigured to: retrieve the content payload including a digital contentfrom the integrated data structure; retrieve the content-describingmetadata stored separately from the digital content within theintegrated data structure, the content-describing metadata configured toprovide content information, the content information including: a mediaencoding information for the digital content; and a media profileinformation for the digital content; render the digital content on adisplay; wherein the content-describing metadata are configured toprovide the content information to the media presentation module priorto rendering the digital content, wherein the content-describingmetadata further comprise preferred presentation parameters for thedigital content, and wherein the content-describing metadata furthercomprise rules for presenting the digital content when at least one ofthe preferred presentation parameters is not supported by the mediapresentation module, and wherein the rules provide instructions foradjusting the preferred presentation parameters based on deviceperformance limitations of a rendering device.
 2. The system of claim 1,wherein the integrated data structure comprises a container filestructure.
 3. The system of claim 2, wherein the content-describingmetadata are retrieved from a header of the container file structure. 4.The system of claim 1, wherein the content-describing metadata comprisemodifiable metadata.
 5. The system of claim 1, wherein the mediaencoding information for the digital content comprises at least one of abit rate, an aspect ratio, and a frame rate, of the digital content. 6.The system of claim 1, wherein the media profile information for thedigital content comprises one of a codec resolution profile for thedigital content and a type of codec for the digital content.
 7. Thesystem of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to copythe integrated data structure to the media presentation module.
 8. Thesystem of claim 1, wherein the content-describing metadata furthercomprise pointers to locations of data external to the integrated datastructure for dynamic linking to external assets.
 9. A method forexecution by a media presentation module for providing a content storedon a non-transitory medium, the method comprising: storing an integrateddata structure on the non-transitory medium, the integrated datastructure comprising at least a content-describing metadata and acontent payload; retrieving a content payload including a digitalcontent from a integrated data structure residing on the non-transitorymedium; retrieving the content-describing metadata stored separatelyfrom the digital content, within the integrated data structure, thecontent-describing metadata configured to provide content information,the content information comprising: a media encoding information for thedigital content; and a media profile information for the digitalcontent; rendering the digital content on a display; wherein thecontent-describing metadata are configured to provide the contentinformation to the media presentation module prior to rendering thedigital content, wherein the content-describing metadata furthercomprise preferred presentation parameters for the digital content, andwherein the content-describing metadata further comprise rules forpresenting the digital content when at least one of the preferredpresentation parameters is not supported by the media presentationmodule, and wherein the rules provide instructions for adjusting thepreferred presentation parameters based on device performancelimitations of a rendering device.
 10. The method of claim 9, whereinthe integrated data structure comprises a container file structure. 11.The method of claim 10, wherein the content-describing metadata areretrieved from a header of the container file structure.
 12. The methodof claim 9, wherein the content-describing metadata comprise modifiablemetadata.
 13. The method of claim 9, wherein the media encodinginformation for the digital content comprises at least one of a bitrate, an aspect ratio, and a frame rate, of the digital content.
 14. Themethod of claim 9, wherein the media profile information for the digitalcontent comprises one of a codec resolution profile for the digitalcontent and a type of codec for the digital content.
 15. The method ofclaim 9 further comprising copying the integrated data structure to themedia presentation module.
 16. The method of claim 9, wherein thecontent-describing metadata further comprise pointers, and wherein themethod further comprises dynamically linking to external assets, usingthe pointers, to locations of data external to the integrated datastructure.
 17. A method for execution by a media presentation module forproviding a content stored on a non-transitory medium, the methodcomprising: storing an integrated data structure on the non-transitorymedium, the integrated data structure comprising at least acontent-describing metadata and a content payload; retrieving a contentpayload including a digital content from a integrated data structureresiding on the non-transitory medium; retrieving the content-describingmetadata stored separately from the digital content, within theintegrated data structure, the content-describing metadata configured toprovide content information, the content information comprising: a mediaencoding information for the digital content; and a media profileinformation for the digital content; rendering the digital content on adisplay; wherein the content-describing metadata are configured toprovide the content information to the media presentation module priorto rendering the digital content, wherein the media encoding informationincludes a codec profile of the digital content, the codec profile beingavailable without encoding the digital content, and wherein the rulesprovide instructions for adjusting the preferred presentation parametersbased on device performance limitations of a rendering device.
 18. Themethod of claim 17, wherein the integrated data structure comprises acontainer file structure.
 19. The method of claim 18, wherein thecontent-describing metadata are retrieved from a header of the containerfile structure.
 20. The method of claim 17, wherein thecontent-describing metadata comprise modifiable metadata.